School board to discuss projects, fees

Published 12:05 am Sunday, September 11, 2016

SALISBURY — A busy work session waits for the Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education Monday.

At 1 p.m. the board will revisit several discussions its had at prior meetings, including teacher retention and student fees, as well as looking towards the future by addressing capital project.

According to the board’s online agenda, the school system will receive information about phase one of a plan to replace the roofs of several schools.

The plan outlines roof replacements for 11 district schools including: North Rowan Elementary, Mount Ulla Elementary, South Rowan High School, North Rowan High School, West Rowan High School, Corriher-Lipe Middle, East Rowan High School, Rockwell Elementary, Salisbury High School, Granite Quarry Elementary and Hurley Elementary. Replacing the roofs on all 11 schools would cost roughly $5 million. According to documents attached to the online agenda, the most expensive school to re-roof would be North Rowan Elementary, which carries a $666,000 price tag.

The board will also discuss student fees. At its Aug. 22 business meeting the board discussed the possibility of waiving certain student fees, particularly band and parking fees. The county has imposed a $250 limit on high school marching band fees, which in Rowan-Salisbury Schools range from $50 to $250. When it comes to parking fees, the district receives 30 percent of all fees paid — a roughly $20,000 amount annually for the past two years. The remaining funds are claimed by the individual schools, and can be used for school beautification, to enhance safety or for other projects. Technology fees will also be discussed.

Other items up for discussion include redesigning teaching models to cope with staff shortages in science and math subjects, and west rowan property agreements, which will be discussed in closed session.

The Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education will meet at 1 p.m. in the Wallace Education Forum Board Room at 500 N. Main St.